Glad you clarified that everything's fine, Mark, 'cause my mind automatically went to expectant mom DEFCON1 level. You and Mrs. Z take care and we'll fend for ourselves in here.Hope that LannEn can get the team off the schneid with some help from the offense (remember them?). Let's just pick up where Jonny and Laynce left off, boys.

Not to hijack this discussion but I would like to ask those who lauded Mike Flanagan yesterday if they are lauding him today with the news he selfishly killed himself!? This is no longer a tragedy for beloved Flanny but a tragedy for those left behind. People who commit suicide take the easy way out and should not be memorialized or lauded as a great person, they are not!

I don't think we have any idea what was in his mind, but I do know something about depression, and having a disease that warps one's whole perception of reality is hard on everybody concerned, especially loved ones, but it's not a moral failing.

SelfishAnd comments like yours help the people who are left behind … how? They seem selfish and self-indulgent in their own right.As for me, I'm sorry for Flanny, I'm sorry for the family and friends he left behind. I've sympathy for them all.

I stii think very highly of Mike Flanagan and have sympathy for him and his loved ones. I do not know the details of his despair but I am sad that he was troubled. He was A very good man by all accounts I have read to date.

To get back to the game…I don't know that Bixler needs to lean into a pitch – he did get a hit when he started in CF Monday night.Ankiel certainly did nothing Tu and Wed to deserve a spot in the line-up (0 for 7 with 2 Ks). Will Bernie get a Sept. call-up? I'd so much rather see him out there, and at the plate.

Nobody can know what goes on in the mind of another person. I feel sad for his family, and for him if he did take his own life, because that's a dark place to be. If someone else feels differently about the matter, it's not for me to judge whether their reaction is right or wrong. Just as I don't know what goes on in the mind of another, I don't know what life experiences might have led them to their current point of view.

Weather guess, as promised: it looks like DC is about to get a little more rain, then all clear, more or less. The worst of it is all staying south of us, in Va. and NC. If you're south of Woodbridge, you're in for it…batten down.

Or even north of Woodbridge, as it's coming down like a cow, um, never mind that particular simile – suffice to say that it's raining really hard right now. Good to know that it should clear up after that.

Trapped in No. Virginia. Student who came yesterday at 5:30 (what are you doing here???) did not show up today at 5:30 which is her proper time. Does anyone understand teenagers?Radar from the west looks clear after the current bag of rain. Heaven only knows what will be coming from the southeast direction (Irene) but that won't be tonight.

Said Flanny did the deed with a shotgun. Said they couldn't immediately identify the body. What a grisly discovery that must of been. Said he had financial worries. Come on man…sell the house, get a townhouse, start collecting your pension. Don't off yourself!

Glad to hear Mrs. Z (and baby) are okay. We will have to muddle through on our own, all is good. For the Flanagan family, not so good. The loved ones (and he was loved by many) left behind are wracked with grief and guilt that they weren't "enough". Take solace all who grieve, he is at peace and (I believe) in a better place. Faint comfort, but what else can you say. So sad.

I'm not sofa, but I'll try my hand at a bootleg weather report (with apologies to Carp). Actually, it's more like a pirated report, taken from the NBC4 site's weather section, which seems to have been updated within the hour:"Much of the area is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m. and a flash flood watch until midnight."Also, in case any of you are in MD:"The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning until 6:30 p.m. for Calvert and St. Mary's counties in Maryland."

Anon 6:07 — I assume that Mr. Flanagan from his name is of the Catholic Faith. Now, it so happens that somewhere among my various degrees I have one that might be relevant–a Master's in Catholic Theology. The Catholic Faith teaches both the Bible and Catholic Tradition, and according to both Scripture and Tradition, suicide is a mortal sin. HOWEVER, the Catholic Faith also recognizes repentance, and that repentance can occur in the instant before death. Therefore, since none can know the soul of Mr. Flanagan–only God knows his soul–and we must pray that he asked forgiveness and received it from the Almighty and All-Forgiving God. For this reason the Catholic Faith allows suicides to be buried in sacred ground. Please let that be the end of this discussion.

Regardless of the method for Mike's final passage, my heartfelt best wishes go out to Flanny's wife, children & extended family. A sad loss. Coming back to topic, hoping all is ultimately well at house Zuckerman, and that LannEn gets the job done against the D-bags. GYFNG!

And, here is something, the O's swept the Twins, and–The Orioles last completed a four-game sweep at Texas on July 8-11, 2010. The O's last won at least four straight on the road Aug. 27-Sept. 7, 2010, when they won three at Angel Stadium and two in New York.

NatsFan1a and NatsLady – You so rock.DC Wonk – Fine analysis of the game, to which I might add that Morse was playing sick last night, and a step slow as a result.Lannan must be so happy not to be facing the Phillies line-up for a change.

Not at the park, but was just watching the pregame. No tarp on the field and it looks like they could get underway on time. Ohnevermind. DCGuy7 has it covered.Back at you, Flynnie, and thanks for the info on Morse. I noticed that he seemed off when running the bases but hadn't heard that he was ill.

I Swear I thougt I ws watching a replay of yesterdays game. How do you let them have the 2 hitter bunt safe AGAIN! Nats are headed for another LOSING Season. Gave me hope and pulled the arpet from under my feet. Screw This

It is a sad and ugly topic, my cousin shot and killed himself at age 18 over being bullied by classmates. I choose to believe he is at peace and in a better place. Now,as NatsLady appropriately requested, nuff said, back to baseball. Live out-of-state, MLB.COM best idea since sliced bread.

NatsLady said… Davey said in the pre-game with Charlie and Dave that Morse got slightly injured going to 2nd base the night before. Said he wasn't worried about him. August 25, 2011 7:01 PM _______________________Not seeing the ball well lately.

Yes, there is audio only and it's pretty cheap, like $9.95, so you can listen to the audio and watch gameday that simulates where the balls and strikes go. The only aggravating thing is they have ads between innings, so you can't look back and see what happened. I use gameday at work where I can't be listening constantly to the game and I like to check back and see what happened.Also they charge extra for the post-season. Still, it's a pretty good deal and you can listen to any team.

i love mlb on my iphone. listen to any radio coverage in the country.pause the tivo, sync w the phone and listen to charlie and dave instead of boob carpenter. or listen to vin scully when we play the dodgers.or pay an extra buck to watch nats when i'm u[ in pa at my philly fan inlaws.or listen to the game coming back from the beach last nitebest app i have and worth the moneyso gyfng – get ahead by inning 5, pray for rain, and go home early.btw – natslady – you da bomb

For this to change, we need more threats in the lineup. In 2012 I see the only guarantees in the lineup each night as follows: Morse, Ryan Z, Ramos (catcher), and Espinoza. I assume LaRouche will get a shot. Outside of that, all positions should be open via minor leagues and free agency. Werth, Nix, Desmond and Ankiel are what they are. If Harper, Rendon, Lombardizo and maybe 2 free agents, a Coco Crisp can join this team then it will change everything offensively for the Nats. So, we will not have to feel the game is over down only 2-0.

Glad to hear Mrs Z is okay. When is the Nats Insider Night at the park? we can make it a baby shower for Mrs Z.. – In my family, we celebrate like crazy for the birth of a child!On that note, can we give birth to a few runs?? Good Grief.. too many left on base!

I only watch the Nationals. But I wonder sometimes if the Nats are "unwatchable" more often than good teams. During the AZ series, the Nats have been hideous…inning after inning after inning of NOTHING.Are the Yankees unwatchable as often as the Nats? Are the Phillies unwatchable as often as we are? How about the Braves? I mean, good teams lose, but are they unwatchable as often as Washington?This thing tonight is painful to watch, and it happens all the time.

Anony: I could not agree more, I am done with this no-account lineup and washed up manager. I bet this team struggles to get to 69 wins because i think they will go in the tank now. Mark, great site and i will back in the SpringAMF all

I knew it was a lost cause when we were two runs down. By four runs down, the Nats might as well have been 14 runs down, so I stopped watching the game. Wake me when it's over so I can put on my pajamas… zzzzzz…

Well if think that they are not effected by the last weekend plus all the tension in around town then I say you would be wrong. They feel again lifeless and again can not shake the culture of losing just yet. Until this team can put together long winning runs will they have truly passed the culture of losing. Now some say this is negative I am just putting a condition that has plagued forth and measuring the progress. Can you really say when the team plays like this last three days they are past the culture of losing

Timothy Reid McClelland (born December 12, 1951 in Jackson, Michigan) is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the American League from 1983 to 1999 and throughout both leagues since 2000. He has called many important games, from post-season games to the George Brett "Pine Tar" game in 1983. More recently, he was the plate umpire for the Sammy Sosa corked bat game on June 3, 2003 when the Chicago Cubs hosted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Wrigley Field. He is currently the tallest major league umpire at 6-foot-6. He was known in the past for working in a kneeling position behind the plate (he has switched, since at least 2006, to a "box position", a form of squat) and for his deliberate strike calls. He is noted for having a small strike zone, but is praised even by pitchers for its consistency. Major League pitcher Zack Greinke said of McClelland's alleged tight strike zone, "For some reason, he's the one umpire that scares me. I have nightmares about him." Wikipedia

It's like they have ex-tend-ed periods when they just do….nothing. No scoring. No momentum. No-thing.Then they have a big game or two and it goes back to…sludge.They have the unusual ability to slow the passage of time. Watching them tonight, in between doing work stuff and checking Nats Insider, is totally slow motion. It is awful.I've been to more than 35 games this year at Nats Park. But games like the last couple, I have to admit how happy I am to be home, when at least I can turn it off.

The ump missed one strike call on Tuesday when Jordan Zimmermann should have struck out Young and they missed the strikeout of Montero.Both misses totally changed the game. When you play these =close= games, these mis-calls are like a costly fielding error.Sickening, and then have to be subjected to Henry Rodriguez. Oh Henry…..

If we had better pitching management and continued focus on defense we could be at least over .500 now. Davey is no genius, in my book. Took over a team on a tear, playing great defense because they can't hit (see prior posts on failed efforts of hitting coach), and tried to inspire offensive talent which just is not there. Meanwhile, they start booting balls, making stupid mistakes on the bases, losing games by giving or taking extra outs. At least Riggleman knew what he had. Davey thinks he is so smart he can just make them better hitters. Epic fail.I loved the tight games, with great defense, and good pitching management that we played prior to the All Star break. And that was without Zimmerman. I hate watching the ugly baseball the devolving Nats have been playing. Sigh, so sad.

You put on 17 on base on a up from the minors second start pitcher and you only score one run YOU HAVE A PROBLEM ……nothing else… no bad luck …or great tip of hat night …..YOU ARE THE REASON YOU DID NOT SCORE …..BTW the error machine of the past years seems to be back …..some really hard to believe errors again tonight

I know one thing. I'll be rooting for the Giants to overtake the Snakes and take back the NL West. Failing that, I'll be rooting for someone from another division, 'cause I ain't rooting for those guys. Not that I'm bitter or anything. I'm just really starting to not like them.

CBinDC said… You put on 17 on base on a up from the minors second start pitcher and you only score one run YOU HAVE A PROBLEM ……nothing else… no bad luck …or great tip of hat night …..YOU ARE THE REASON YOU DID NOT SCORE …..BTW the error machine of the past years seems to be back …..some really hard to believe errors again tonight August 25, 2011 10:29 PM ___________________________So true. Some of the better hitters were over aggressive and swung at balls making them strikes. The Nats had plenty of chances.

@10:25 – Remember Friday night? A walk-off grand slam by Zimm to silence 45,000+ Phils fans? And Sunday's 10th inning win with Gomes hit by pitch with the bases loaded after three amazing at-bats by Werth, Morse and Zimm? And Monday's 4-1 win showcasing brilliant pitching by Detwiler? You have seen 62 wins by the Nats, only 14 blow-out losses, 45 one run games of which they have won 21,and let's face it – losses like tonight are hard, tough to take, but give them their underdog credentials that make the wins so exhilarating. I'll be watching the next game. Go Nats!

Wonk, if the game were 2 – 1 in the bottom of the ninth, that is a lot better than 8 – 1. As for last night, Desi gets caught trying to steal 2nd, and the next 2 batters hit. Cost us a PRECIOUS run early. 2 runs due to other errors, and instead of winning 2 -3, we lose 4 – 2. This is all game changing stuff, and it hangs on the manager at the end of the day. Riggleman seemed to have a handle on this, Davey does not. And f course, the hopefully soon-to-be-erstwhile hitting coach.

flynnie said…[referring to last night's game] DC Wonk – Fine analysis of the game, to which I might add that Morse was playing sick last night, and a step slow as a result.Thanks, flynnie! I had fun writing it — because in all my years, I don't think I've ever seen a baseball game look so different in person than it did on paper. Livo was so _on_ last night — I mean, he was jaw-droppingly good — and yet the boxscore showed he gave up 4 runs on 7 hits. And then all the defensive miscue that were not called errors, etc.(As for Morse's play — I wasn't complaining — after all, he's been one of the best players on the team this year, and 1st base wasn't his position).As for tonight — looking that glass half full — aren't we glad that Clippard failed in a game where we were already losing? (I mean: imagine the pain if we were up 3-2 and he came in with men on and he let the runners score!). The point being — we now that Clip and Store are going to have some bad games — it's good when they have those bad games when we're already losing so they don't (necessarily) cost us a win. (And that HRod really really blew up when we were already behind, etc.)But, sheesh, that hitting is going to kill us! (But it'll give the pitchers good practice )

ehay2k said… Wonk, if the game were 2 – 1 in the bottom of the ninth, that is a lot better than 8 – 1. As for last night, Desi gets caught trying to steal 2nd, and the next 2 batters hit. Cost us a PRECIOUS run early.Yep. Funny thing, though. A couple of folks right here, just a few days ago, were complaining that since Davey came on board we were stealing less. 2 runs due to other errors, and instead of winning 2 -3, we lose 4 – 2. I know . . . but I'm not going to blame pitching management for that.Further, as I noted: one miscue was because Morse is forced to play first because LaRoche is out. I'm not going to blame anyone for that — I'm not even going to say that Morse should have made that play. But I do think LaRoche would have made it.Another miscue was the RF throwing to the wrong base — but, hey, if Werth hadn't been injured, he would have been in there and probably would have played it correctly.Stuff like that happens over a long season. And it gets magnified more when the team does a poor job of hitting . . . like the 2011 Nats.The problem isn't pitching management — it's hitting.

Couldn't watch because the idiots at my gym don't know how to change the channel on the TV. No kidding.But, listening, I think the Nats gave up when it was 2-1, when they could not get to even a tie game in the bottom of the 7th. Not after Lannan gave up the homer, nor after Clip gave up his, but right in that pivotal inning when they couldn't scrape together two runs. You can't hang this one on Davey or Lannan or the bullpen. (I do wonder why Clip was throwing so many change-ups.)

1A, agree. Go, Giants! They are losing 2-0 to Houston, at the moment.And look at it this way, at least the Nats are not the Oakland A's. Yanks 22-9 with 3 grand slams! According to Charlie and Dave, they examined the MLB records and in 136 years and almost 200,000 games that has never happened before.

We were at the game. There was some grousing above about Bixler, but he was one of the few bright spots. Two hits and one grounder to third that he damn near beat out. He has as much hustle as anyone on the team. more than most–and not many ABs. I would really like to see him playing regularly for a couple of weeks.

Not a good game, obviously – even more so from the stands. Clippard's implosion was shocking, but the ump's poor calls were certainly noticeable, and the place was booing them loudly. HRod's implosion was, well, icing. Bixler was indeed hustling as usual, that kid's got heart. the rest of our boys looked like they had little tonight. Cora as a PH in the 8th with a RISP baffled me, with Nix on the bench. RZim blew a golden opportunity, though many of them did – i just "expect it" less from Ryan. An ugly collapse, in a very winnable game, kinda depressing to see in person.

I feel bad for the starting pitchers with this club. Regression in the field, and 1 for 29 RISP for the hitters. A real buzzkill after Philadelphia. It's a good time for them to take their show on the road.

I didn't find the series boring. Frustrating, yes. Boring, no. But that's just me.Eh, maybe they'll be able to get their bats going at the Great American Small Park. (Hey, it could happen.)In other news, just saw an item about Air Screech. What the? Noticed him/her in the stands during the game broadcast and had to back up the video to be sure thst my eyes hadn't deceived me. Nope, that *is* what I just saw. I thought maybe it was a fan in a Screech costume (although I'm not sure where one would obtain a Screech costume, or why). So, for those who were there, is this the end of Screech Two, or was he there as well? I mean, are we on the third mascot already? (Of course, they'd still have a ways to go to catch up with the tv color man replacement pace [rimshot]. And, oh, btw, save Bob Carpenter.)

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but it's, like, an inflatable doll Screech [your off-color joke here]?? If so, you'd best be heads up when bat shards are flying on the field, dude(ette).(And, man, would Mark have had a field day with that one, or what?)

@CBinDC: yes, strange as it seems, it's a good time for a road trip, and not just to get out of Irene's way. Everyone is in waiting mode–waiting for Strasburg, waiting for the Sept. callups, waiting for next year.

I would really like to see [Bixler] playing regularly for a couple of weeks.Why?To remove all remnants of doubt?A drive for a better draft pick?Are you related to him?He's a great baseball player. Anybody that can make it as far as he has, is. He's just not a good major league player. In fact, he's a bad one.

By far and away the worst overall performance by this team this season.You could see the resignation in every at bat with runners in scoring position…. like "oh crap…. I get to make the the 3rd out this inning."

Just a late August series for a team out of the race. They need to refocus and finish strong. On the bright side Desmond is actually looking like he has a clue at the plate for a few weeks now; it's not just the results but the better approach, more patience, better contact. In other words he is not getting himself out as much.

Is this the beginning of the late August downward death spiral that we have come to know and hate? I believed Desmond had the same range as the filthies Rollins. Every hit up the middle was a Rollins put out seemed like. Most hits up the middle are singles and Desi can't get to them. Strange….It is frustrating to watch this team just blow up after the Great filthy series they had.September is just five days away. Want to see some of the new kids on the block. Especially the hitters!

I know that a jinx is just a function of timing but it does seem that everytime the praise for improved or great play starts the player and the whole teams goes boom.Take every person this year and the min the greatness is part of the discussion suddenly they go slump ….now Morse seems to have mostly avoided this fate but look at the start of April after the great ST. Werth gets the ohhh here he is now what they paid for then BOOM . Espinosa gets the ROY talk and bang. Maybe they just feel to much a need to do way over what other teams would do just get a little positive attention in the usual manner. They can not buy a mention on the morning show of their own flagship station and the afternoon show sayings their name as if a slur…this is not now the same at the other station as it was and Mark is getting better respect BTW…….just a thought on the over all effect that surrounds the team ….BTW what exactly is AIR SCREECH I could not tell from the pictures it just adds to last nights surreal feel

"On the bright side Desmond is actually looking like he has a clue at the plate for a few weeks now; it's not just the results but the better approach, more patience, better contact. In other words he is not getting himself out as much."Let's hope it's a real change in his approach. He's done this before, then with success in his head, he reverts to being over-aggressive and trying to pull everything.He's got the raw talent. It's his head that makes me suspicious of his future.